Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Magnus Carlsen - 2nd Sinquefield Cup 2014

This is the 1st round game between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Magnus Carlsen from the 2nd Sinquefield Cup chess tournament of 2014. In the game, Vachier-Lagrave opts for the Scotch Opening in reply to Carlsen's e5. After Carlsen's 4th, Bc5, play is sharpened with an ensuing Qe2. This queen move alone speaks volumes about what Vachier-Lagrave's intentions are. Carlsen takes these ideas into account and replies swiftly, entering a middlegame where attention to detail, king safety, move order, time, and initiative all come to the forefront. The tournament was held in the United States - Saint Louis, Missouri at the Saint Louis Chess Club & Scholastic Center (Home of the World Chess Hall of Fame). This tournament's 6 competitors (Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Veselin Topalov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave) have an average rating of nearly 2802, making it the strongest tournament in chess history.